Dodging the Rain
by GetSetPirouette
Summary: Rain was a constant reminder of all that he'd lost. She made it bearable.


Tahno hated the rain.

Each raindrop slithered over his skin, its icy caress nothing but a mere taunt, and as each brutal droplet assaulted him, he could swear they were out to remind him with each passing second of all that he'd lost.

Even retreating to the safety of his home was never enough, as the empty walls seemed to echo back the tapping out of a mocking canticle of water; the sound a never-ending barrage that nothing could block out. He'd put on a record to drown out the suffocating drumming, but even then, carefree droplets would ignorantly chase each other down his windows, dancing in a race that many would describe as inherently elegant, as the element itself was.

Always twisting and changing and flowing in a spinning waltz, a tug between power and grace.

Until it hit a dam that could kill its spirit with a single touch.

As time went on, Tahno began to find his only comfort during a mid-afternoon shower in the inevitable visit from a certain Avatar. At first, he thought it was her presence that was the distraction. Whipping insults and off-the-cuff jeers at each other was the closest he could get to sending a slender stream of water to the back of her head, and the way she'd always catch his words, swirl them around a little, and toss them right back in his direction was just so reminiscent of the days when it wasn't words, but their element whizzing through the space between them.

After a few more visits during storms, he began to think that the comfort came from attraction. He'd felt it from their first encounter, a sensation that was superficial at the start, but only became stronger as her fiery spirit kicked in. She wasn't afraid to look him in the eye with narrowed vision and a sharp tongue, her hip usually popped to the side in a gesture of defiance as she spoke uncensored, her words refusing to be contained by something as petty as manners or societal norms. With each biting insult that rolled off her lips, Tahno found himself wanting to arrest her speech, capturing that insolent mouth with his own.

But it wasn't until one day, when Korra genuinely let loose and laughed, her eyes lighting up the room despite the muddled gray tones of the world outside, that Tahno finally realized why having the Avatar at his side during the downpours was quickly becoming more than a mere comfort, but a necessity.

Those eyes.

The spark in them simply electrified the clear blue that was there by birth; a spark that came around when they were arguing, when she was teasing… but most of all when she was genuinely happy and completely in her element.

The clear blue of a cloudless sky.

It was easy to ignore the rolling storms and gray buildings looming around his window when a pair of eyes as vast as the sky themselves were simply waiting for him to gaze into them, forgetting the world outside and all that had been taken from him. Korra would be his saving light in the gloom of despair, and all he needed to be pulled out of his rock bottom was to lock eyes with the girl and be thrown into a new world of beauty. Peace. Perfection. Serenity. Nothing else had to matter.

So when Korra caught him staring one day, she cocked an inquisitive eyebrow, ready to deliver a sarcastic comment, when Tahno placed a gentle finger to her lips.

"Do me a favor, Uh-vatar." He said, trying to keep his voice aloof and only mildly interested in what he was saying, though his traitorous heart was speeding up in anticipation of what was coming next.

"Demanding, aren't we?" she scoffed. The feeling of her lips buzzing against his fingers was far from unwelcome. "What do you need, Pretty Boy?"

The answer to that was simple: _To have you by my side always, so that I never have to face another cloudy day alone with my thoughts, selfish though that may be._ But words like those would never escape his lips. He could never let Korra think he was depending on her for anything. She would either pity him or flaunt it over his head, neither of which seemed terribly appealing. So instead, he eased his lips into an enigmatic smile, refusing to reveal too much of what was going on in his head through his expression alone.

Korra tensed at the sight, not quite used to a genuine smile on his part. Usually it was a smirk or a suggestive leer that was painted across his face. Just as he felt her lips part slowly to speak again, he pressed a little hard against them, reminding her to stay silent as he voiced the only request he would allow himself for the time being:

"Laugh."


End file.
